The Avengers
by PhoenixAngel47
Summary: Basically what the title says. I've added a character, only she's from our world and has seen the movies and knows what will happen. Paige Willows it just an ordinary girl from London. When her mother moves her to Los Angeles, she never thought being late for school would land her in the middle of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She's fourteen. She's confused. Can she make it?
1. Prologue: The Journal

**A/N:**

**Hey, everyone. I'm sorry for disappearing. Again. School started, and let me tell you, freshman year sucks. Even now, I'm putting off my homework to give you guys this story. I am putting my GPA on the line for you guys.**

**Now, about the story. I've had it written for a while now on my Kindle, and now have decided to share it for you. I am going to apologize for the length (or lack thereof) of the first couple of chapters. There wasn't much that I could think of to put in it. I have the whole story written. It's not going to be long. Eight chapters exactly. I will update every Saturday, I promise you all.**

**Give me your love!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to the Avengers or Marvel.**

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><p>Natasha Romanoff found herself in Paige's old house, going through and clearing out her stuff. The grief for her friend was still stinging her heart and pulling at her mind. It was an awful feeling—one that she'd never experienced like this before. She'd felt something like it once, back in the KGB when her friend was eliminated. Maybe "friend" was too kind. The girl had been her ally, a distant partner at best. That grief had been totally different, because then Natasha would have to train another ally, which took precious time.<p>

Time that could've gotten _her_ eliminated as well.

Clint had decided not to come to day. He had begun to think of her as a little sister or even a daughter (and if Natasha was being completely honest with herself, so had she). Natasha found herself alone, facing the worst room in the house, which both she and Clint had left alone for as long as they could. Over the past week, they'd cleared out the rest of the house, starting with the kitchen and moving on from that point. Natasha almost believed that this task was going to be too hard for her, and feared she would loose her famous control. But the Black Widow was never one to back out from a mission, especially when it came to her friends and family. Or at least what she considered to be her family. Besides, if she didn't do it, Coulson would send some other agents who didn't care or respect Paige's things. So she told herself to suck it up and get the job done, the way she did every impossible mission.

It didn't help.

Paige's bedroom had the most belongings in it by far. These were personal belongings, which made the job so much harder because most of them were objects Paige had acquired when with her and Clint. Natasha had been standing in the doorway for the past fifteen minutes, trying to gather up the courage—she was the _Black Widow_, for crying out loud, famous for not hesitating to do a job—to walk inside and start. There were boxes for things that she wanted to keep, and trash bags for things to be thrown away. Drawings covered the walls, of places and objects and people. Some were neat and precise, others sloppy and smudged, as if Paige had been in a hurry to get them down onto the paper. Books littered her desk, some brand new, others torn and tattered, and the rest in every variation in between. In the middle of the mess, her laptop was plugged in to charge, as if Paige had been up all night on it, which she so frequently did, and ended up having to plug it in before it died completely around two in the morning. Clothes were strewn about. It looked as if she had left in a hurry, expecting she'd be back soon to clean it all up.

Only she'd never be back.

Natasha gritted her teeth and began to work. She stripped the drawings down from the walls, sorting through them. She kept the ones of her, Clint, and the rest of the team. She kept one of Coulson, and of places that she recognized. There was the schwarma joint, and the Triskelion, and other places. Those were placed carefully in one of the boxes. A few articles of clothing were added in. They were some of Paige's favorites. The girl would wear them all the time; to the point that they were so worn they were hideous. When pointed out, Paige would defend them endlessly, saying that she could wear what she wanted. The jewelry and a few books were put in, along with her laptop.

Natasha stripped the bed of its black sheets and blue comforter, which screamed "Paige!" so loudly it almost hurt. They were thrown in a trash bag. There was no reason for Natasha to keep. She got down on her stomach to check underneath the bed, where the only thing she found was a box. It was cardboard, with a matching lid on top and handles cut into the sides. Natasha pulled it out, setting it on the bare mattress, and took a deep breath before opening it. Inside there were more drawings, old SHIELD files (mostly missions with her and Clint), and newspaper clippings. Natasha found some from the Battle at New York, along with some from her debacle in London. What drew her attention was the black leather-bound notebook her initials stamped in blue.

Natasha picked it up and opened to the first page, where she was greeted with the sight of Paige's sloppy handwriting. Biting her lip, Natasha began to read.

"_Hello, Natasha._

_ Yes, I know you're the first one to find this. I wrote this journal to tell you—all of you—the truth behind me. I know this will seem far-fetched, but please just read it. Before we begin, I guess I should give you some facts that only Paige McKenzie Willows would know, so you know it's actually me writing these words. _

_ Ten years ago, you first saw me on the street in New York City, when I attacked that Chitauri warrior with my backpack and blinded it with a pen. I was fourteen then. I'm twenty-two now. You first met me after the battle, when I woke up after being out for two and a half days. We discussed several personal things, such as Loki's threat, and that fact that you were compromised._

_ I swear on everything that I have done that everything is this book is the truth and nothing but the truth._

_ I'm going to go way back to the beginning now. I'm going to tell you my stories, my secrets, and everything that goes along with them. I think you'll find these stories quite familiar…"_

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><p><strong>So this is the prologue. I added a whole bunch to it. I realize it is still very short. Chapter one will be short as well, but they will get longer, I promise. I have this entire story all written out, but will update every Saturday. Wouldn't want to spoil you all. Anyways, the you'll understand more as the story continues. This is going to be a series. I have the next part written out completely, and am working on the third and fourth parts. I promise, I will not abandon this story.<strong>

**Love, Angel**


	2. First Day of School Well, Sort Of

**A/N:**

**And again, this chapter is pretty short as well. There's not much I can do to fix that. More about the series. It starts with the Avengers, goes on to Thor: The Dark World (I decided to not do Iron Man 3, because I couldn't really picture Paige in it. Where would she be? With Tony? With Pepper? Why am I asking you?) **

**Anyways, back to the series. The third part will be Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which I am currently working on, and The Tide of War, which will be Paige in Agents of SHIELD Season 2.**

**Shout outs to **_**Odd's Little Girl**_**, **_**katie131925**_**, and **_**Fraulein Lissy**_** for reviewing with nice words to say! Love you guys! And thanks to everyone else that favorited and/or followed! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to the Avengers or Marvel. I only own Paige and her actions.**

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><p>I was woken up rather rudely by a song from the movie "Mulan," one of my least favorite Disney movies. The entire story just seemed too far out for that time period, and some of the ideas were just too far-fetched to make it seem somewhat realistic. It was also my least favorite song of the whole movie, which was why it was the perfect alarm clock for my first day at a new school. I'd shut it off just to make it stop, before sitting up and stretching.<p>

Mum had moved us (me and my brother) from London, England to Los Angeles, California over the summer. It wasn't my idea of fun, leaving the house I'd lived in my entire life, leaving my school, my friends (okay, I didn't have any friends), to just move to another country and make a new life.

Shutting off the alarm and getting up, I gathered my clothes for the day and headed into the bathroom. I turned on the water and waited impatiently for the hot water to kick in before adjusting it to the right temperature. I pulled off my sleep clothes, kicking them into the corner, and climbed in. I moved quickly, soaping through my long, dark brown hair and scrubbing down my body. I was quickly out and drying off, drying and brushing my hair. I braided it, my fingers moving surely and quickly, making two different braids combining into one that fell over my shoulder, like a capital but crooked 'y.'

I pulled on a pair of faded jeans, which I had bought before leaving England, sliding a belt through the loops and buckling it. I pulled on a white tank top and a short sleeved (I still wasn't used to being able to wear short sleeves) blue flannel button up shirt over top of it, leaving the top two buttons open. For makeup, I only put on blue eyeshadow and black eyeliner with a light hand, making my bright green eyes pop a little more. I then left the bathroom, moving back into my bedroom. I slid on a pair of matching-but-non-matching socks: one was black with blue accents; the other was blue with neon green dots. I also put on my tennis shoes and grabbed my backpack, grunting at the weight, and headed out to the living room.

I turned on the TV, inserted a disk, and hit play. Captain America stormed into action, shield glinting in the sunlight, guns blazing behind him. I smiled, moving into the kitchen and grabbing some toaster pastries and ripping open the shiny foil. I put them in the toaster and pushed down the little handle before going back to sit down on the couch. I loved Marvel movies. Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, it didn't matter. I loved them all, although my favorites had to be Hawkeye and the Black Widow. I totally shipped Clintasha, which was something my brother and I argued over constantly. He liked Natasha and Steve together, a pairing that I absolutely despised. The toaster popped, and I got my breakfast and plopped back down to watch, completely entranced.

Some half hour later, Mum bustled in, dragging my half-asleep little brother behind her. "Paige, love, I'm off to work. I'll drop Danny off at the babysitters. Pick him up after school, would you? And don't be late for school. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Mum," I sighed, irritated. My eyes never left the television. Mum was out in the kitchen now, Danny slumped in a chair at our dining room table.

"Captain America again, love?" she asked, pulling on her suit jacket and grabbing her purse.

"How else do you expect me to start out my first day at a new school?" As if I would even _think _about it. Marvel was the only thing I had left from London, and it was the only comfort I had to help.

"All right then, just don't be late." Mum left, dragging Danny out the door behind her. I shook my head at the crazy woman before glancing at my cell phone, which assured me I'd be fine. There was no way I'd be late.

-:-

Another half hour later, the ending credits rolled onscreen, so I pulled out the disk and put it in its case. I shut off the TV and glanced at the time on my cell.

"Oh my gosh!" I screeched, rushing to grab my backpack and throw my cell in, as the pockets in my jeans were too small to hold it. I was going to be late for school, and Mum would kill me, and then I'd be dead and I did not want to be dead. I rushed out the door, barely pausing to lock the door behind me. I rushed down the driveway and began running along the sidewalk, slinging my heavy backpack over my shoulders as I went. I was so going to be dead! I had five minutes to get to school.

It was warm out, much warmer than London in the middle of summer, but it wasn't too hot. Morning clouds covered most of the sun, but something told me they wouldn't stay past noon, unlike London where clouds covered the entire sky almost twenty-four-seven. As I ran, I noticed there weren't any cars on my street, which was unusual. Where were they all? It was my wandering thoughts that made me miss the rock in front of me. My foot slid, and I found myself tumbling with a squeal of surprise. I felt my body jerk forward, as if someone had grabbed my hands while I fell and pulled me forward, and all I could see was the color blue. I let out a scream of fear and confusion, my eyes squeezing shut as wind rushed past me more quickly than it should have.

And then it stopped.

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><p><strong>And here's chapter one. Again, I'm sorry about the shortness. I added a whole bunch to it, but it's still very short. The next chapter will be super long to make up for it.<strong>

**Please, please, please review, even if it's bad words.**

**P.S. The song from "Mulan" is I'll Make a Man out of You**

**Love, Angel.**


	3. New York City?

**A/N: **

**I'm back again! Let me just say that this chapter is much longer than the first two. Those were mostly filler chapters to explain what was going on. Now I am here to continue the story!**

**Shout outs to **_**Odd's Little Girl **_**(you rock big time, girl!), **_**katie131925 **_**(that's a lot of numbers! And you'll get your update sooner this time.), and **_**kadrules2014**_** (may you always have enough cookies!) for reviewing and being awesome!**

**Note to everybody who reads this! I am moving update day to Fridays instead of Saturdays. Saturdays are my homework days and it makes it too hard to do this. Starting next chapter, all updates will be on Fridays!**

**Disclaimer: You thought I owned anything of money making business? You guys are hilarious. I don't, sadly. All I own is Paige Willows and her actions.**

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><p>I hit the ground hard. My backpack flew off my shoulder, landing somewhere beside me. Only it wasn't the grayish concrete of the sidewalk beneath me, it was the blacktop of a street. My hands, which had broken my fall, stung from where the pavement had scraped them.<p>

I slowly pushed myself up to my knees, looking around. I certainly wasn't in Los Angeles anymore. Where was I, though? I was still in a big city, but it wasn't Los Angeles or any other big city that I had ever been to.

And then I realized that I was in New York City. How I knew that, I don't know, bit I was sure that I was in New York City. And I could see the Stark Tower. Wait, what? The Stark Tower didn't exist in real life. Which meant that… I was in the Marvel Universe! Somehow. Wait, I was in the _Marvel Universe_, and I had no idea how I got there. How was I going to get home?

By this point in time, I was practically hyperventilating. I was lost, in a big city that I had no idea where I was, in a different _universe_, and I had no idea which movie I was in. Iron Man? Captain America (okay, probably not Captain America. It was too modern)? Thor? I didn't know, and I had no way home, and I was really starting to get very depressed. And as I watched, a column of blue light shot up into the air from the top of the top of the Stark Tower, and then there were things flying in the air.

Oh my glob, I was in the middle of the Avengers!

An alien landed a few yards away from me, and began walking towards me. I was quickly on my feet. And now not only was I panicking and depressed but also scared as well.

"God save the Queen," I muttered. I looked around frantically for an escape rout. "On second thought, forget the Queen! God save me!" As the creature got closer, I tried to find something I could use—distraction, defense, it didn't matter. My eyes landed on… my backpack! Of course! I lunged for it, wrapping both hands around the top handle and hoisted it up, swinging the heavy bag through the air and smashing it into the alien's head. The thing was instantly knocked down to the ground, but it wasn't put yet. I fumbled in my bag, and yanking out a pen, the first thing my fingers found, I uncapped it and jammed it into the thing's eyes, blinding it.

The pen and my hand were covered in greenish-blue blood.

"Good job, kid," a familiar-yet-unfamiliar voice said from behind me. I spun around, pen in one hand, bag in the other, to see a guy. He was wearing a lot of black, with no sleeves and he had very muscular arms. A quiver of arrows was on his back, a funky-looking blow in his hands. In one smooth movement, an arrow was sunk into the alien's head. "What's in that thing?"

"Four binders, three notebooks, seven folders, two textbooks, and two books," I answered immediately. Great, I was talking to an absolute stranger now.

"Wait-wait-wait," I said rapid-fire, thinking out loud. "If I'm in New York City, and there is a blue circle in the sky, and those things are coming from it…" I got a closer look at the alien. "That's a Chitauri! And if that's a Chitauri…" I turned back around to face the man, eyes wide. "Then you're… then you're…" I was looking at Clint Barton, codename Hawkeye, _in the flesh_. With Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rodgers, a.k.a. Black Widow and Captain America behind him.

Wait, why was I just standing there? I had somewhere I needed to be.

"Um, never mind," I said hurriedly, looking around. "I um… I have to go!" I dropped the pen and hoisted my backpack up onto my shoulder, turning around to run. A strong hand on my arm stopped me.

"Do you know where you're going?"

"Um, no, not really," I said, pulling out of his grasp. "But I'm sure I'll know it when I see it!" the last few words were shouted over my shoulder as I ran off. I set my sights on the Stark Tower, dodging craters in the road, and aliens, and civilians, and everything else.

And suddenly, my surroundings were very familiar. I came to a screeching halt. Running along behind me was Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, and Steve Rogers. That wasn't what I was worried about. I stopped, staring up at the portal, because I knew what was coming next. I felt the three heroes stop behind me.

"Kid, what are you doing? You need to get out of here," Agent Barton said. I didn't answer, because the sounds had started. I assumed the three behind me followed my gaze, because I heard Rogers say,

"Stark, you seeing this?" I didn't hear Tony Stark's reply, because I didn't have a communication link, but I knew what it was.

"Seeing. Still working on believing." I said as much out loud, and then remembered who exactly was standing behind me. I slowly turned around, and they were all staring at me. They heard me. Crap.

I began backing away slowly. "I'll just be going now." I turned around and took off at a full sprint, my backpack slowing me down some. I hear footsteps behind me, and when I looked back, I saw the Black Widow running at me. With a squeal, I turned around and pumped my legs even faster. I had to get to the Stark Tower. It was kind of hard to concentrate on dodging items with a Russian superspy chasing me.

I was forced to stop by several Chitauri blocking my path. This was so not going to be my day, was it? Nope. _Crap_! I had promised Mum that I wouldn't be late for the first day of school! Does being sent to a different universe count as a good reason for not getting to school on time?

And here I was, facing death, and I was worried about missing school. What was wrong with me?

"Duck!" the command was so powerful that I followed it without hesitation. Something flew over my head, smashing into an alien before going back the way it came.

_The shield_.

I continued running, my legs burning, breaths coming in harsh pants. Maybe after this I should consider doing track or cross-country. I would certainly be in shape. The Stark Tower was just a bit further. I needed to get to the top. That was where Loki was. At least, I hoped he was still there. I slammed into the glass doors, breaking through completely, hurting myself in the process. I pushed through, ignoring the pain and the glass shards embedded into my skin. Would the elevator still be working?

"JARVIS?" I called out, feeling extremely stupid.

"Identify yourself," came the Artificial Intelligence's voice.

"Un, Paige Willows," I told him. "I need to get to the very top of the Tower. It's very important that I get there as fast as possible. Would you be willing to let me use the elevator?"

"There is no Paige Willows in my database," was JARVIS' reply. Of course not. It makes sense.

"It wouldn't be," I told him. "I'm not from this universe. But I can help Tony Stark and the whole world by getting up there." Hopefully.

"I will have to clear it with Sit." I waited impatiently, debating whether or not to just take the stairs.

"Agent Barton asks if you are Kid, Ms. Willows," JARVIS finally said.

"Yes, I am," I said. "I met him after blinding a Chitauri with a pen from my backpack." The elevator doors slid open.

"You may enter." I ran inside, the doors closing behind me and the elevator shooting upward. The two minutes felt like an eternity, but when I reached the top, Thor and Loki were there. I ran out onto the balcony.

"Look at this! Look around you," Thor bellowed. "You think this madness will end with your rule?"

"It's too late," Loki panted. "It's too late to stop it."

Thor shook his head. "No. We can. Together." There was a moment of silence.

"Thor, look out!" I screamed, just as Loki plunged a knife into Thor's side. Thor fell to the ground. I darted forward, getting in between the two men just as Loki muttered,

"Sentiment."

My presence stopped the God of Thunder from lunging at his adopted brother. "Yes, it is sentiment," I said, breathless. "But sentiment isn't a bad thing. Think of when you were younger. It wasn't bad then. Just because you've realized your true parentage doesn't mean they didn't love you. Think of what you're doing," I pleaded. "There are families down there. Children, not so different from yourself. They don't know their real parents."

"Stand aside, mortal," Loki said, impatiently.

"No." My voice was soft but firm. "I realize your world was torn apart. And if I remember correctly, which I do, Thor didn't toss you into that abyss. You let go yourself." I could see my words getting to him.

"What do you know of my past?" He spat, getting angry. "You weren't there."

"I was," I replied. "In a way. I know you thought you were the second son of Odin, King of Asgard. I know that your mother, Frigga, taught you magic. I know that your true father is Laufey, the King of Jotunheim, and that you were lied to your whole life. I know that you let Jotuns into Asgard to kill Odin while he was in the Odinsleep, and then fought them off yourself to gain favor for yourself." I paused, and took a deep breath. "I know that you're not a bad man, Loki, son of Odin."

"If you claim to know so much, then you know that Odin is not my father," Loki said, spitting the words out as if they were painful.

"He _is _your father. If not for him, you would have _died_. Laufey abandoned you on a frozen rock, leaving you for death. Odin saved you, took you in, _loved_ you. They're not your family by blood. I've learned that you have to make family wherever you can get it. You're not a monster, Loki. Trust me. I've seen monsters, and blue skin and red eyes don't make you one."

Loki grinned, but it didn't reflect in his eyes. "I am a monster."

I shook my head. "No you're not. Monsters aren't looks. They're actions. I know—" I cut myself off and took a deep breath. "I know because my father was one. He murdered twenty-seven men and women, all while living with me, my mum, and my little brother. We had no idea. After he was arrested and convicted, I went in to see him once. Mum wouldn't. She and I both agreed to keep my brother away from him. But saw him. He still looked the same, on the outside, but I could see it in his eyes."

"See what?" Loki asked, a faint hint of curiosity in his voice.

I pulled in another breath, and it shuddered on the way out. "The Monster. The one that had grown inside him. He wasn't born with it; his actions made it, helped it grow strong. And let me tell you, Loki Odinson," I looked straight into his eyes, unblinking. "I don't see a monster. Not in you."

It was silent for a moment.

And then he lunged.

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><p><strong>Yay cliffhangers! Seriously though, when I wrote this, I ended it right there and then had to go to bed because I had church the next day. I was so mad at myself because of that stupid cliffhanger. I spent the rest of the night thinking of what might happen and how Paige was going to get through this that I fell asleep and dreamt I was in her place! Whoops. That, my friends, is how the next chapter was born.<strong>

**Next update on Friday guys!**

**(By the way, has anyone else seen the trailers for Disney's Big Hero Six? So cute! Hairy baby!)**

**Love, **

**Angel**


	4. The War

**A/N:**

**Update time! You have no idea how hectic my life has been over the last week! It's a miracle I even got this typed up. That's how much I love you guys, okay? And I'm sorry for the lateness of this update. I would normally have this up around 3:40-ish, but we had a long weekend so I spent the night at my friend's (PhoenixDemon58) and didn't get back home until now! So here it is! **

**Big shout outs to **_**Odd's Little Girl**_**, who has stuck through my incessant rambling, **_**Rubi Yuki**_**, and **_**kadrules2014 **_**(please don't send Clintasha after me. I rather value my life, and if I'm dead, then you won't get updates at all.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has a Marvel label on it. I only own Paige Willows, her thoughts, and her actions. Sorry guys.**

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><p>Loki's hand wrapped around my neck, squeezing, and suddenly I was flying through the air. Thor bellowed out, charging at his brother. Meanwhile, I was dangling over the edge of the balcony, dangerously close to falling. This was so not going as planned! Oh, wait, I actually had a plan? No, no I didn't. I looked over my shoulder, and immediately wished I hadn't. I'd never known I wasn't a big fan of heights until now. I watched Thor pick Loki up and slam him on the ground. Loki rolled off the edge, right next to me, and landed on one of the Chitauri aircrafts. I figured I wouldn't be able to do that.<p>

"Daughter of Midgard, take my hand," Thor said, kneeling in front of me and holding out my hand. I let go with my right hand, a small whimper coming from my mouth as the sweaty fingers of my left hand slid a little more. I took his larger one, rough and smooth at the same time. He pulled me easily back onto the balcony, my entire body shaking.

"Are you alright?" The God of Thunder was still on his knees, exactly my height.

"Y-yes," I stuttered out. "I'm fine. You need to take that dagger out." Thor yanked the blade out of his side with a wince.

"Your neck…" Thor trailed off, running his fingers over where Loki had grabbed me and squeezed. One look in the glass windows (a whole one) confirmed my suspicion that bruises were forming on my pale skin.

"I bruise easily," I said. "I'll be fine. We need to get down there. JARVIS?"

"Yes, Ms. Willows?"

"Is there a communication link I could use to keep in contact with the others?"

"There is one on its way." I stuffed the little device in my right ear, wincing and digging around to try and get used to it.

"What is your name? How did you know all those things?"

"Um, my name is Paige. And it's a _really_ long story," I said in reply. "Not one to tell in the middle of a war."

Thor nodded. "Very well," he accepted. "We must get down there. You have proven yourself worthy to be apart of this battle. Hold onto me."

"_What_?" I squeaked out, flushing with embarrassment.

"My way is faster," he said by way of explanation.

"Oh, right." I moved forward, wrapping my arms around his torso, clutching at his cape. He wrapped his left arm around me, tightly, but not too tight as to hurt me. His hammer flew to his hand, I heard a whirring noise, and suddenly, I was jerked upwards and we were flying over New York.

-:-

It was awhile before we found the others, on a street I didn't know, surrounded and fighting like an army from outer space was invading. Oh, right, there was an army from outer space invading. Thor sent down bolts of lightning as we descended, frying several aliens and making my stomach lurch out of sheer speed. We landed roughly, Thor's feet touching the ground before mine did, and I stumbled away, trying to regain my balance as the god leaned against an overturned car.

"Never again," I promised myself under my breath. The team gathered.

"What's the story upstairs?" the Captain asked, sliding his shield back on his arm.

"The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable," Thor replied. I remembered this part.

"Thor's right, we gotta deal with these guys," Stark said over the comms.

"How do we do this?" Agent Romanoff asked.

"As a team," Captain America and I said together. All eyes turned to me.

"I was sent here from another universe, I don't know how, but I know how this is going to end. Just keep… doing what you're doing. I'll be fine. I can take care of myself," I explained, throwing in a lie as well. Could I take care of myself in the middle of this war? Probably not. Was I going to tell them that? No. Natasha and Clint gave me looks, but said nothing.

"I have unfinished business with Loki," Thor rumbled.

"Yeah? Well get in line," Clint said, messing with a few arrows.

"Save it," Steve cut in. "Loki's going to keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without it these things could run wild." Wait, I knew this part too. I turned around, where I knew Bruce Banner would be coming from and waited.

"We've got Stark up top. He's gonna need us to—" Captain America cut off as Bruce pulled up on his borrowed motorcycle. We all walked/jogged over to him.

"So," he said, gesturing around. "This all seems horrible."

"I've seen worse," Agent Romanoff commented dryly.

Bruce looked a little sheepish. "Sorry."

"No," Agent Romanoff said quickly. "We could… use a little worse."

"Stark, We've got him," Captain Rogers said.

"Banner?"

"Just like you said."

"Then tell him to suit up." Stark paused. "I'm bringing the party to you." I started backing up, heading for the cover of a car. Clint and Natasha noticed my movement.

"Trust me," I said. "I know what I'm doing." And then Stark came around the corner, the flying armored worm with teeth and fins hot on his tail. Bruce turned around.

"I-I don't see how that's a party," Agent Romanoff said.

"Clearly you've never partied with Stark, Agent Romanoff," I muttered, not intending anybody to hear. Apparently, these comm links were more sensitive that I realized.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment, Paige," Stark said.

"You shouldn't." While we had been talking, Bruce had started walking towards the thing flying at us.

"Doctor Banner." Steve stepped forward. "Now might be a really good time for you to get angry."

"That's my secret, Captain," Banner said over his shoulder. "I'm always angry." And then he Hulked out. It was actually scarier in real life. The Hulk slammed his fist into the creature's head, smashing it into the ground and crumpling its armor. The body, affected by inertia (I did happen to pay attention to science) flipped up and over the head, armor falling off.

"Hold on," Stark said. He flew upwards and fired a missile from his suit into a patch of exposed skin. The thing exploded, sending metal and sparks everywhere. The Captain and Natasha took cover under the shield, while Clint joined me by the car and Thor just stood there and took it. The thing's head went over the edge of the bridge we were on, through the railing, and crashed into the ground below, sending any other civilians running.

And then came the screams from the Chitauri.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and my blood ran cold. It was worse in real life than it ever had been in the movie. The Hulk let out and eardrum-shattering roar, and suddenly, I found myself surrounded by the world's mightiest heroes.

And let me tell you: it was freaking _awesome_. And scary.

A the screams echoed through the air, I could almost hear Loki's voice saying, "Send the rest."

"Guys," I warned, my eyes on the portal. "Get ready. It's not over yet." More Chitauri warriors and two more flying metal worms came out, proving my statement true. They all followed my gaze.

"Call it, Captain," Stark said.

"All right, listen up. Until we can close that portal up there, we can use containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays." Clint nodded. "Stark, you've got perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash."

"Wanna give me a life?" Clint asked.

"Right," Stark said. "Better clench up, Legolas." The two were gone a few seconds later, and Steve continued dishing out orders like a real captain. Which… he was, I guess.

"Thor, you gotta try and bottleneck that portal, slow them down. You've got the lightning—light the bastards up." Thor nodded and took off again, making me shudder. Never, _ever_ again. "You and me, we stay on the ground, keep the fighting here," he said, talking to Natasha, and then turning to the Hulk. "And Hulk—" the Hulk whipped his head around at the sound of his name. "Smash." With a terrifying grin, the Hulk took a mighty leap, landing on the side of a building, like a green King Kong.

I didn't have time to watch him. More aliens came. I swung my bag around, smashing it into any that got too close for comfort. It only dazed them, but it was enough to make them back off so the other two could kill them. It started to get darker as clouds rolled over. Not just any clouds, though; these were thunderclouds, and I knew Thor was working his magic.

Or… whatever the heck it was that he did.

"Kid, look out!" I instantly swung around; backpack slamming into the Chitauri's gun and knocking it out of its hands. That didn't stop it from coming at me. Natasha and Steve couldn't help; they had their hands full. I ducked as it swung a right hook, my fingers fumbling to undo the very front pocket on my bag. I darted left and right, ducking and weaving as I pulled out my pencil pouch. I had begged Mum to buy me a Zippit, so I unzipped it completely, scattering pencils and Sharpies and pens and gluesticks as I went.

When I finally had the thing completely undone, I dropped to the ground beneath its feet, wrapping the long strip of fabric around both ankles and pulling with all my weight. The Chitauri fell forward; feet pulled out from under it, and knocked its head on the ground. Thinking fast, I picked up a large shard of glass, heedless of the danger, and plunged it into the back of the alien's neck, killing it instantly.

I stood up, out of breath and shaky, pulling my pencil pouch with me. Steve was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Pencil pouch," I breathed out.

He nodded. "Good job. Just be careful."

"Do I have a choice?" As I looked around, I realized that I was hopelessly out matched. I was a fourteen-year-old from a different universe with no fighting skills whatsoever and nothing but a backpack to defend myself. I couldn't always rely on the two Avengers with me. They had their own battles to fight. What was I even doing here? I get tossed into another universe in the middle of a war with an army from outer space and I just _throw _myself into the middle of it?

Now I know I definitely have ADHD.

"Stark, you've got a lot of strays sniffing your tail," Agent Barton said after a few minutes.

"Just trying to… keep them off the streets," Stark replied.

"Well they can't bank worth a damn. Find a tight corner."

"I will roger that," Stark said.

"How're you doing, Kid?" Agent Barton asked me, just as I swung my backpack around, knocking it into a Chitauri's stomach and wrapping the strip of fabric in my hands around its neck, pulling sharply and keeping the pressure there as it thrashed and struggled.

"I'm not going to give myself the illusion that you can't see me, Agent Barton," I said though gritted teeth, swinging my bag behind me with one hand and letting go, knocking another alien that was coming up behind me down and I continued to choke the one in front of me with both hands until it went limp.

"Smart girl," he commented, and an arrow embedded itself in the one behind, me that had gotten back up.

"Thanks," I muttered, untangling my pencil pouch and grabbing my backpack.

"No problem." There was a lot of crashing and explosions coming over the comm, and then Stark said,

"Nice call. What else you got?"

"Well, Thor's taking a on a squadrant down on Sixth," came Barton's reply.

"And he didn't invite me." I smirked briefly, and ducked just as Steve threw his shield. It flew over my head, killed three Chitauri, and went back.

"Are you trying to decapitate me?" I teased, quickly looping my pencil pouch around an alien's ankle and pulling, using another pen from on the ground and shoving it through the Chitauri's eye socket, straight up into its brain. "That's the second time you've done that."

"Just trying to save your life," he commented, smashing his shield into another alien. Natasha got smashed into a car hood, the bayonet-like point of a Chitauri gun slamming into it right next to her, barely missing her head. The superspy threw her leg around the thing's neck, grabbed onto her ankle with her opposite hand, and used her gloves to stun it with an electrical charge to the back of its neck before using its own gun against it.

She was panting hard, blood running down her temple. That, and she nearly attacked the Captain. Knowing what was coming, I took off running again, heading towards the Stark Tower. I needed t get there. I was extremely tired, sore, cut, and bruised in so many places. Over the comm link, I heard Natasha and Steve's conversation as I ran.

"Captain," Natasha started, "none of this is going to mean a damn thing if we don't close that portal."

"Our biggest guns couldn't touch it," the Captain replied. I was nearly there. I tore through the hole I had made in the glass door before, and made a beeline for the elevator. I was a really fast runner when I wanted to be, apparently.

"Maybe it's not about guns."

"If you wanna get up there, you're gonna need a ride."

"I've got a ride," Natasha said. This elevator ride seemed to take longer. "I could use a boost though."

"You sure about this?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," she said. "It's gonna be fun." Why was this elevator ride taking so dang long? I was almost there… four more floors, three more… two more…

"_Yes_!" I screeched out. "That bloody took forever." I rushed out and began searching immediately for the scepter.

"Captain," Barton's voice called. "The bank of Forty-Second past Madison. They've cornered a lot of civilians in there."

"I'm on it," Steve said breathlessly. Where was it? I needed the scepter. Natasha was going to be here any second, and she would find Dr. Selvig, and she would need it.

"Hawkeye," Natasha shouted over the comm.

"Nat, what are you doing?"

"Uh, a little help!" Loki was shooting at her. That meant she was close, dang it, where the heck was the scepter?

"I got him," came Barton's reply.

"Oh—" I cut myself off before a bad word could exit my mouth. I needed to get out of there, and fast. I darted out onto the balcony, hiding behind a potted plant just as Loki came flying out of the sky and landed in front of me. I saw Natasha jump onto the roof, above where I was. My attention was diverted back to Loki, however, as he started to pull himself back to his feet.

With a roar, the Hulk appeared, jumping onto the balcony and slamming into Loki, sending the God of Mischief flying through the glass windows and into the Tower. Wait, the scepter wasn't _inside_, of course! That's why I couldn't find it! My eyes raked over the area in front of me.

They flew back to the pair inside when Loki shouted, "_Enough_! You are all of you beneath me! I am a god, you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by—" he was cut off as the Hulk grabbed his ankle and began smashing him into the floor multiple times as I watched with wide eyes.

When he finished, the Hulk strode away. "Puny god." And then he leapt back over the edge of the balcony. Right, I had a job to do. With a final glance back at Loki to be sure he wasn't going anywhere, I continued the search for the scepter. There! I rushed forward and grabbed ut. It was _heavy_, dang it!

"JARVIS, is there a way to get onto the roof from here?" I asked. I heard Natasha talking to Dr. Selvig over the comm, but I ignored them.

A metal panel slid aside, revealing a metal ladder. "Here is the roof access ladder, MS. Willows."

"Thanks," I muttered, swinging my backpack off my shoulders and stuffing the blunt end of the scepter into it, using the two zippers to close around the end that stuck out and keep it in place while I was climbing. I put the bag back on, grunting at its weight, and began to climb.

The roof was a lot higher up that I expected, and by the time I made it halfway there, the wind was so strong and I was so tired. Still, I'd take this over flying with Thor. When I finally made it, Natasha was kneeling in front of Dr. Selvig, and both were looking over the edge.

"And I was looking right at it," Selvig said.

"Where did it go?" Natasha asked.

I hoisted myself onto solid ground. "Looking for this, Agent Romanoff?" The two whipped around to face me.

"Paige." Natasha helped me to my feet, and took the scepter out of my bag. "When did you get here?"

"Way before you," I said shortly. "I brought this up. We'll need it."

"How did you…?"

"Later." I helped Selvig to his feet. "Doctor, are you all right? Will you be okay?" I was stalling. As far as I knew, the nuclear bomb hadn't been sent out yet, and that thing needed to go to space.

"I'm fine. Who are you?"

"Paige."

"We need to get started," Natasha said. And it commenced. Natasha, scepter grasped in both hands, approached the Tesseract. Dr. Selvig opened up the laptop in front of him.

"Right at the crown," he instructed. I prayed that I had bought Stark enough time. Natasha started to move the scepter forward, slowly, and I watched, biting my lip. It was about to move past the barrier.

"I can close it," she muttered before saying louder, "can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down!"

"Do it," came Steve's voice over the comm link.

"No, wait," Stark interrupted, and I sang songs of hallelujah to the skies.

"Stark, these things are still coming," the Captain warned.

"I've got a nuke coming in," Stark explained. "It's gonna blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it."

"Stark, you know that's a one-way trip," Steve said.

"Save the rest for the turn, J.," was Stark's only reply. I knew that JARVIS was offering to call Pepper and that she was on a jet, watching the TV, and wouldn't notice her phone going off because it was on vibrate.

"Just hold on," I muttered, but nobody seemed to hear. I caught sight of Tony, flying straight towards the portal going up, up, up, and then he was gone.

I knew the people back on the Hellicarrier were cheering.

I knew Stark's suit lost power.

I knew the bomb hit the mothership.

All the Chitauri warriors stopped fighting.

My eyes never left the sky, hoping, praying, that everything would turn out like the movie. The portal couldn't stay open for too long or the explosion from the nuke would come through.

"Come on, Stark," Natasha murmured.

And then came the words I dreaded. "Close it." Natasha sent a look at me, as if pleading me to tell her to leave it open.

"Do it," I said softly. She pushed forward, touching the tip of the scepter to a certain spot, and I returned my eyes back to the portal and prayed some more. Just as it closed completely, I saw him fall through.

"Son of a gun," Steve said, making me laugh. I thanked whatever god or force that had brought me here for making this exactly like the movie.

Stark was still falling. All of a sudden, I saw a large shape come out of nowhere; intercepting Stark mid-fall, and I knew it was fine.

"He'll be all right," I assured the other two, who were standing beside me at the edge now. "Trust me." Natasha stared at me for a long time, then nodded. The Hulk roared, and I knew that Tony woke up. Stark's suit wasn't working, so we couldn't hear him anymore, but we heard Steve loud and clear. "We won." I let out a deep breath that I didn't realize I had been holding. I could almost _hear_ Tony rambling on about taking a day off and schwarma.

-:-

Natasha, Selvig, and I met up with the others at the top floor. And waited for Loki to move. He was just now pulling himself up off his back, but froze when he sensed us. He slowly turned around to face us. Hawkeye was in front, knelt down and arrow loaded. I was right behind him, backpack in one hand, pencil pouch strip in the other. The others were behind me: Tony, Steve, Thor, and Natasha. The Hulk was behind Tony.

"If it's all the same to you," Loki said, shifting some. "I'll have that drink now.

* * *

><p><strong>And here is the third chapter! It is longer than the last one. And not as bad a cliffhanger this time, Hon, so please no Clintasha. It's about ten pages long in Microsoft Word. My hands hurt! As promised, new update days on Friday. There are about three more chapters and then we start Thor: The Dark World.<strong>

**Love,**

**Angel.**


	5. The Aftermath

**A/N:**

**And I'm back! After a four-day weekend, Monday comes around only to have at least four inches of snow. No Seminary (early morning church class) to start with, which meant I got to sleep in until 6:30 instead of being awake at four in the morning, and then a two hour delay, which meant getting to sleep in until eight thirty, and then school gets cancelled! I love snow!**

**Shout outs to **_**Rubi Yuki**_**, who has graciously agreed not to send Clintasha or Agent May after me; **_**kadrules2014**_**, who has been very supportive from the beginning; **_**TatteredAngel42**_**, who like me loves Zippit pencil cases; and finally Guest, who I really wish you would sign in but I love you anyway!**

**Since I know not many people take the time to read profiles, I am going to announce this here, where there is a stronger chance of you seeing this. I am thinking about starting another story for this fandom. It will not be apart of this series, and will not fall into cannon with the events in the Marvel world after Thor: The Dark World. I'll have more info below.**

**Disclaimer: Paige refused to do the disclaimer, so I guess it's up to me. Sorry. I don't own anything you might recognize. Paige is mine.**

* * *

><p>After Loki was chained up, the Avengers and I were waiting for a SHIELD squad to come pick him up. I was sitting with my legs dangling over the edge of the balcony, my dislike of heights forgotten for the moment, staring down at the ground far below me. The movie was vague about the ending. I only knew bits and pieces.<p>

Now, with the war out of the way, I could let all my questions rage around and distract me. Why was I sent here? Your guess is as good as mine. I had no Idea how I managed to stay alive with nothing to defend myself except a backpack and a Zippit pencil pouch, which was still clutched in my hand, still covered in the blue-green Chitauri blood from the one I blinded with that pen when I first arrived here. It was dried now, and cracked and pulled at my skin when I flexed my hand. And I guess I could say I was questioning my presence here. I wasn't an Avenger. I was just a mortal girl from a different universe.

Clint Barton sat down beside me. "What's wrong, Kid?"

"I have a name, you know," I said, sounding miserable, even to myself. The agent continued to stare at me, until I looked back out over the city and sighed. "I guess I just don't know what I'm doing here."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," I started, "for one, I'm just a fourteen-year-old mortal girl from a different universe. Two, I'm not a hero. I have no fighting skills whatsoever. I could have easily been killed out there." I turned my gaze back to Barton. "I'm not an Avenger, Agent Barton. I don't belong here."

"You know what I see?" he asked. I shook my head. "I see and incredibly brave fourteen-year-old girl, willing to fight for a world that isn't even hers. I see a girl with no fighting skills, but is resourceful enough to use her surroundings to defend herself. Common items, which no one else would think to use. Like a pencil pouch." I let out a little laugh. "And to me, that's nothing more than any of the rest of us have. We each have something that kept us alive out there. And we wouldn't have let you die, Paige." He stood up, and offered me his hand. I took it and climbed to my feet. Standing behind us was the whole team, staring right at me.

"You're a part of this team. You _are_ an Avenger." My gaze ran over the people in front of me: Tony, Natasha, Thor, Steve, and Bruce, who had gone back to normal some time ago. They all gave me a single not. The all accepted me.

"Would somebody like to tell me just what is going on here?" Director Nick Fury came striding in, his one eye going from Loki, to the group in front of me, to Agent Barton, and to me. "Who's this?"

I desperately hoped my voice wouldn't shake. Dang this man was way scarier in real life! "My name is Paige Willows, sir." Fury's eye jumped to Clint.

"_Why_ is a young girl here when she should be with her family?"

"With all due respect, sir," I cut in, trying to keep on Fury's less bad side, "my family's in a different universe."

He glared at me. "Explain. Everything."

So I started at the beginning.

-:-

While I told Director Fury my story, other agents had come in and taken Loki away. I went through everything: waking up, being late for school, my mysterious way of arrival, meeting Clint, the whole nine yards. After I was finished, the tall black name just stared at me for a moment.

"What makes you so special?" he asked eventually, taking me by surprise. My next words came out of my mouth before I could think about them.

"Nothing. I'm just a kid from London."

The man sighed. "I can't let you do this. You're only fourteen."

""I'm sorry, Nick, what?" Tony cut in. "She may be only fourteen, but she fought with us the entire time with nothing but a backpack and her wits."

"And she never once asked for help," Bruce cut in, making me blink in surprise.

"She also didn't expect us to drop everything and help her when she was in trouble, either," Clint said.

"She's pretty handy with that pencil pouch. I wonder what she could do with a whip," Natasha said, which I'm pretty sure was her version of telling Fury to let me stay. Fury, who had taken all of this in, turned to Steve, who had stayed silent the entire time.

"What about you, Rogers? What's your opinion on this?" Steve turned away from the Director to look at me. Suddenly, I was nervous.

"She's one of us," he finally said, giving me a smile that I returned. Fury looked at each and every one of us.

"Fine. We'll work out the details later. I have to get back." And with that, the Director of SHIELD strode into the elevator and left. We all stared at the closed doors for a minute, and then my stomach growled very loudly.

"I'm hungry," I said, causing everyone to laugh.

-:-

We ended up at the schwarma joint from the movie. The owners were there, cleaning up, but when the woman saw us, she immediately stopped and moved forward to thank us.

"Would you like something to eat?" she offered, smiling at us.

"Yes please," I said politely. "If it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not, dear. Come sit, all of you." We gave her our orders, and she bustled back into the kitchens. I looked around the table. Tony had taken off his suit, but he was still banged up some. Then there was Thor in his armor, Bruce in his borrowed clothes, Clint in his Kevlar and leather, Natasha in her catsuit, Steve in his red, white, and blue suit, and then me, in ripped and dusty jeans, a torn white tank top, and a tattered blue flannel button up shirt over top. My hair was a mess. My makeup was smeared. I had cuts and scrapes and bruises. I was sweaty and sticky and gross.

I started laughing.

The others looked at me like I was crazy, but they slowly started to join in, until we were all laughing as loud and as hard as we could. We laughed until our food came out, and then it was silent, because we were all so hungry. In the corner, the owner had started sweeping again. We wolfed down our food, and got seconds, and even thirds. Even I did. I hadn't had anything to eat since my measly little toaster pastries when I had first woken up this morning.

I laid my head down on the table afterwards, and everything faded to black.

-:-

Bruce Banner was sitting at a table with his, and, yes, he had finally come to think of them as a team. He was still convinced that they were a time bomb, only someone had added a longer fuse. Maybe one that wouldn't be lit, now that Paige was there (although that was very doubtful). Tony was still enjoying his food, as was Thor. Natasha and Clint were staring at one another. Bruce wasn't quite sure what was happening between them, but he decided to stay out of it. Steve was staring down at the table.

Bruce's gaze then landed on Paige, the fourteen-year-old girl who he had met only briefly, but had shown she was worthy (and he was now starting to sound like Thor, regretfully) to be with them. It was hard to believe that the girl, whose face had shown nothing but determination and knowing despite facing a alien army, who had managed to keep herself alive _and_ play a part in saving the world, was fast asleep with her head on the table.

"Guys," he said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the team since the first round of food came and capturing the others' attentions. They followed his gaze to the sleeping teen.

"Can you blame the kid?" Tony asked quietly, so as not to wake her up. Bruce seriously doubted that anything would wake her up at the moment.

"She woke up this morning, planning to go to school," Natasha said, staring at Paige with the softest look anyone except Clint had ever seen on her face, "and instead was brought here and fought in a war."

"We have ourselves one amazing teammate, right here," Clint said, a smile pilling at the corner of his mouth.

And Bruce agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>And sorry about the short chapter again. The next one should be longer, and then only one more after that. Don't worry, this is part of a SERIES, guys. It's not alone in this world.<strong>

**Anyways, more about my maybe story. If I do it, it will be called "Sisters in Arms" and will be about three different assassins from different Rooms (like Natasha coming from the Red Room or KGB). They are thrown together on a mission to take out a mark under SHIELD's protection (specifically Clint and Natasha). Large changes will occur. What do you think? Should I do it?**

**Love,**

**Angel**


	6. Waking Up and Sending Off

**A/N:**

**Eh, not much to say. But… HAPPY LATE THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! Since it's on Thursday and I update on Friday, it's late, I know. Maybe I'll revoke my update schedule for Christmas and update on Thursday.**

**Shout outs to **_**Odd's Little Girl**_**, **_**Uncontrollable-book-nerd**_**, **_**TatteredAngel42**_**, **_**weathergirl17248**_**, and **_**Starzz**_** for reading and reviewing. I love you guys so much and you are the only reason I have continued with this story. You all rock!**

**Disclaimer: I have Abibliophobia. Not Marvel. Sorry.**

* * *

><p>Clint Barton had offered to carry Paige back to the Stark Tower, even though his muscles were stiffening up and crashing through plate glass earlier certainly hadn't helped much at all. Not even Kid had made it out totally unscathed. There was a cut on her cheek, a scrape on her forehead, one on her chin. Her nose had been bleeding, but Clint couldn't distinguish from what. It didn't look broken, so there was no reason to worry over it much.<p>

The only other big thing that Clint could see was the finger-shaped bruises on the kid's neck, from where Loki had grabbed her and thrown her over the edge of the balcony. He did kind of wish he had put an arrow in the god, and he certainly would have if he had known that was what those bruises were from.

The group reached the front door, a big hole in the glass from where Paige had run straight through it.

"Sheesh," Tony whistled, staring at it. "The first thing she did was run through this thing. And it's heavy duty, too."

"Actually, the very first thing she did was blind an alien with a pen from her backpack," Steve corrected. Clint smiled at the memory. They had gotten out of the quinjet, and there she was, standing in the middle of the street. He was just close enough to hear her mutter,

"God save the Queen. On second thought, forget the Queen. God save me!" Clint had had an arrow nocked and ready to fly, when all of a sudden, the kid had lunged for a backpack on the ground, grabbed it, and used it to knock the alien to the ground. The neck thing he knew, she had blinded the thing with a pen. She was smart, and didn't let her fear get the best of her in tight situations. There were quite a few things she had to explain (just how exactly she knew where to be and when to be there, namely), but for now, she needed to sleep.

-:-

And sleep she would. Natasha (and the rest of the team, for that matter) was getting worried. Paige had been sleeping for two and a half days now, only waking up, muttering a few indistinguishable words, and falling right back to sleep. The doctor that SHIELD had sent over the first day at the team's request (after finding a large shard of glass embedded in the girl's side) had said that she was simply exhausted from the battles and all the running she did. Paige wasn't battle commissioned like the rest of them, and her body wasn't able to handle it. She had simply pushed herself too hard and too far. Not knowing how long Paige was going to be asleep, they had given her an IV to give her the fluids her body needed.

The team had taken turns, watching over her, and it was currently Natasha's turn. Over the last hour and a half, the kid hadn't done much, other than occasionally muttering. Natasha was sat in a reclining chair by the window with a book in hand. It wasn't something she would normally read, but it was taken from a fourteen-year-old's backpack, so that was to be expected. Natasha had figured Paige wouldn't mind too much. It was a book called _Tiger's Curse_ by Colleen Houck. It was interesting, Natasha had to admit, and might be a series that she would continue. It was different, a mix of fantasy and reality that made it just right to take her mind off things.

Suddenly, Paige began to cry out.

"No! Daddy, please don't! You're not a monster!" Natasha was by her side in an instant, book lying forgotten on the chair. There wasn't much she could do. She wasn't good with this sentimental stuff; it wasn't in her programming. It had gotten better, thanks to Clint, but it was still hard for her.

Natasha settled for holding the girl's hand and smoothing back her hair, which had been freed from its braids. The motion felt natural, almost, which scared Natasha more than she liked to admit. "Shh," she said quietly. "It's all right. You're okay, Paige. I promise you that." The girl sat up, eyes flying open and gasping for breath. Natasha waited, watching as her deep blue eyes wandered around, confused, until she remembered where she was and what had happened.

Blue eyes met emerald green.

"Agent Romanoff?"

"Natasha," she corrected softly. "After all, we are teammates." It was still strange for Natasha to think of herself as part of a team. It had been hard enough for her to join a partnership with Clint.

Paige groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Goodness, how long have I been out? And why is my side burning like hellfire?"

"You've been asleep for two and a half days," Natasha said. "And you have five stitches on your side from a nasty gash from that glass door you decided to smash through."

The kid shrugged, trying (and failing) to hide a wince at the movement. "I was in a hurry. Breaking through was the fastest way in. Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same if you were in my position."

"I wouldn't have used my body to do it," Natasha admitted, "but I guess you're right."

"Sorry," Paige said wincing some as she shifted. "But I was a little low on time. As it was, I was cutting it pretty close anyways."

"You had us pretty worried there. After you didn't wake up the first day, I mean," Natasha told her. "The doctor said you just needed to sleep."

Paige studied the ex-Russian's face carefully. "So do you. But you aren't." It unnerved Natasha, how this fourteen-year-old was able to read her so easily, like she was an open book. It was enough to make her break eye contact and stare at the bed.

"You've been compromised," Paige continued, repeating the same words Natasha had told Clint just days earlier. "That's not something you can just recover from. It takes time, and even then, it never really goes away. It's always there, in the back of your mind. And I know for a fact that it's more than just the red in you ledger." Paige moved so she could look into Natasha's eyes again. "It has to do with Clint. With him getting taken. And Loki's threat."

"What do you know about that?" Natasha's voice was sharper than she intended it to be.

"I know you're Drakov's daughter. About Sao Paulo. The hospital fire. That you ledger is dripping, gushing red. That Loki said, and I quote, 'You won't touch Barton, not until I make him kill you—slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear—and then he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams, I'll split his skull.'" Seeing Natasha's paler than normal face, Paige winced. "Oops. Sorry. I didn't mean to… bring up bad memories."

"It was the accent," Natasha said, her throat dry. "You have the same accent.

Paige winced again. "Sorry." The two sat there for a while longer, until Paige began taking the IV out. Natasha leaned over to help, pressing gauze over the point where the needle came out, stopping the blood until Paige could get a bandage over it.

"If it's any consolation, which it probably isn't, Loki won't be able to make good on his promise," Paige said softly, making Natasha freeze briefly. It was some consolation, but not enough, but she was grateful for Paige's attempt to make her feel better. Still, Natasha didn't want to talk about it anymore, so she did what she did best: deflection.

"We're sending Loki off today," Natasha said. "Are you up to coming? Or do you want to stay here?"

Paige seemed to understand, and dropped the subject. "And miss seeing him in shackles? Forget it!" The kid stood up, a little shaky but otherwise fine.

"Here." Natasha handed her some clothes. "It's not much, but you can't exactly wear your old ones." Paige accepted the clothes. It was a pair of faded jean shorts coming up to about mid thigh, and a white tank top and black leather jacket. They fit surprisingly well enough.

"This was the only thing that's still wearable along with you shoes," Natasha said, handing Paige her belt. The girl didn't waste any time strapping it on around her waist.

-:-

I felt strange wearing these clothes. The shorts were shorter that I preferred, as I usually wore shorts that came down to my knees, but they would have to do. Most of the items in my backpack had remained fairly unscathed—except for my cell phone, that is, which had been smashed into tiny pieces that littered the bottom of the bag. I had found a brush in the bathroom and ran it through my crazy hair, but left it down, not having the energy nor wanting to stretch and hurt my side to do it.

Natasha and I went down to the tenth floor, where the rest of the team was at. Clint was the first one to see me from his perch on the kitchen counter and said,

"About time you woke up, eh, Kid?"

"And just in time, too," Tony cut in before I could say a word. "Rock of Ages is going home today."

I rolled my eyes. "You and your stupid nicknames, Stark. When does he leave?"

"Seven thirty," Bruce replied, sitting at the table with a cup of tea in front of him. A glance at the clock told me that it was still a half hour away.

"Hey, Tony," I called. "You have any chocolate rock candy?" so maybe I should eat something a little more substantial than candy, but I wanted sugar and I was going to eat it.

"Second cupboard on the right from the fridge." So the man couldn't remember anything about his job, but her knew where everything was in the kitchen. I located the plastic container of the chocolate confection, tearing off the lid and eating a handful. Steve offered me a foam cup with coffee in it and I took it gratefully. I normally didn't drink coffee, but something told me I was going to need it today. I added two packets of sugar and some hazelnut creamer, stirring it in before taking a sip.

"Whose clothes are these?" I asked eventually.

"Some of Pepper's old ones," Tony said. Huh. I didn't expect that, but I guess they wouldn't really have time to go out and buy some. I drained half of my coffee, chasing it down with another handful of chocolate rocks. Thor stepped out of the elevator at that point.

"It is good to see you awake, Paige Willowsdottir," he said, sitting next to me, dressed in his Asgardian garb.

"It's good to be awake," I replied, ignoring the last word of his sentence. It only served to remind me of who (what) my father was. Someone must have told him my last name while I was out.

"So what will you do?" Clint asked, sitting on my other side. "We're all going our separate ways after Thor and Loki leave. What will you do?"

"I think I'll go with the Hellicarrier," I said eventually. "Try to find my way here. Maybe start training some. After all, if I'm an Avenger, I'll need some type of self-defense. And I should probably continue my education. So many things to do."

"Are you sure? You could come with Nat and me." I glanced from Clint to Natasha, and swiftly made my decision.

"I'm sure. Don't worry about me, Agent Barton. I fought against an army from outer space. High school shouldn't be a problem. I'll probably take online schooling, anyway. You two go," I assured him.

"Clint," he corrected me, much like Natasha had done earlier. I nodded. Natasha sat across the table from me, next to Bruce.

"You know," she said. "I would've thought you'd be trying to get home to your family, not make a life here."

I looked down at the cup in my hands, teeth sinking into my lip and debating. Might as well just come out with it. I almost laughed at myself, because I told a mass murderer about my past, but I can't find it in me to tell the people I trust? I'm an idiot. "My dad was a serial killer. Killed twenty-seven men and women all while living with me and my mum and my brother. After he was arrested, my family wasn't the same. We kind of grew distant. Mum moved us from London to Los Angeles, hoping to put the past behind us, but it didn't work." My voice was rough, now, and I was trying very hard not to cry.

"Danny's too young to really remember me. Mum will move on, eventually. I think it's better I stay here. Easier than trying to explain how I vanished without a trace and then appeared the same way. I told Loki, up on the balcony, that I've learned you have to find family wherever you can. So that's what I'll do." I finished my coffee and put the lid back on the chocolate rocks, trying to hide my teary eyes before I looked at any of them. I could tell they weren't too sure how to react to the news about my dad. It's okay. I wouldn't either.

"Well, if you're going to start training, you'll need an SO," Clint finally said after a minute, and I was grateful to him changing the subject. If anyone knew about crappy families, it was he. "That's a—"

"Supervising Officer, I know," I cut him off. "You offering?"

"I am."

I shook his hand. "You've got yourself a deal, Barton."

-:-

We ended up on a bridge in New York. I had ridden with Natasha and Clint, and they had told Fury of my decision. Another agent was going to take me back.

Thor led Loki, shackles on his hands, that strange looking thing on his mouth, preventing him from talking, over to the far edge. There were agents stationed everywhere, while the Avengers (and, yes, I included myself in that word) gathered around. I knew that Fury was probably talking to the Council right now, but I honestly didn't care.

I had one last thing to say to Loki.

I stepped forward, a little nervous about being that close to him, until I could stand on my tiptoes and say lowly in his ear, "None of this would have happened if you had listened to me back on the balcony, Loki. The monster had been born. I wish I could say it won't grow." I stepped back, standing in between Clint and Natasha.

In the movie, I had always wanted to know what Natasha said to Clint to make him smile. Now I do.

"You never did get that arrow in him." Thor offered Loki the end of the capsule that held the Tesseract, which Loki begrudgingly took. Thor looked around at all of us, nodded, and then twisted his handle on the capsule. They disappeared in a flash of blue. We all said our goodbyes.

"See you around, Captain," I said, saluting with a smile. Steve returned my smile, and my surprise, pulled me into a hug. After a moment's hesitation, I hugged back. It reminded me of my dad. He let me go, got on his motorcycle, and went on his way. Bruce gave me similar treatment, squeezing me with one arm. I fist bumped with Tony, and then Natasha handed Bruce a bag, and Tony and Bruce sped off in one of Tony's many cars.

"Paige, this is Agent Jensen. She'll take you back to the Hellicarrier with her," Clint said, gesturing to a nearby agent. She nodded at me with a warm smile. Before I could get into the car with her, Clint stopped me by turning me around to face him. He knelt down to my height, and looked me straight in the eye. "Are you sure about this? Leaving your family, training to be an agent? It's not going to be easy."

I smiled. "I don't expect it to be easy. And I am sure."

"You do realize that by taking me as your SO you're going to get trained by Nat as well?"

"I know. Package deal." Before I could stop myself, I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed. "Watch out for her," I whispered in his ear, before letting go and climbing into the shotgun seat. Agent Jensen looked over at me before pulling away.

"S how did you get mixed up in all of this?" she asked

"That is a long, _long_ story, Agent Jensen."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, only one more chapter to go with this story, but it's more of an epilogue. The Friday after next will be the start of Paige in Agents of SHIELD Season 1. By the way, if I even manage to get this posted while struggling with my turkey coma, it'll be a good day.<strong>

**Love,**

**Angel.**

**P.S. Abibliophobia is the fear of running out of reading materials.**


	7. Epilogue: Whiplash

**A/N:**

**I AM SO SO SORRY I AM SO LATE! I got grounded, and then it was time for midterm exams, and then I was worrying about… other things… and I'm still grounded but got permission to post not one, but three chapters. This one, the epilogue, and the prologue and chapter one for the next one.**

**And this is the last chapter of this part of the series. Let me just say that I am thrilled with the response to it.**

**The next part will be Paige in Agents of SHIELD Season 1, and will be located in the Agents of SHIELD fandom. You can also check out my profile to find it. It will be up next Friday.**

**Shout outs to **_**TatteredAngel42**_**, **_**Uncontrollable-book-nerd**_**, **_**weathergirl1248**_**, **_**Rubi Yuki**_** and **_**Aurora**_** for reading and reviewing. Thanks for sticking through with this!**

**Disclaimer:**

**I don't own anything you might recognize from the Marvel Universe, guys. It hasn't changed.**

Three Years Later

"Again," Clint ordered. We were in one of the many gyms aboard the Hellicarrier, where we spent most evenings. I had started to loose my accent some, but I knew it would take at least two more years for it to fully go away. My hair was tied back into a knot, sweat dripping down my forehead.

"Clint," I moaned. "I'm so tired! I need a break." We'd been going at it for about two and a half hours now.

"A real enemy won't give you a break, Paige," Clint warned.

"Believe me," I muttered under my breath, flashes of New York coming back. "I know they won't." With a flick of my wrist, the end of my whip curled around the blade of Clint's knife, and with one sharp yank, the object clattered to the floor, far out of his reach. With another flick, the whip curled around his ankle, and I pulled it out from under him. He fell on his back with a grunt, and in the next minute I had his hands tangles together with my whip and my (his) knife against his neck.

"Smart," was all he said. "All right, that's enough for tonight." I let him go, sliding the knife back into his hand and coiling up the whip, placing it on its hook on my belt.

"About bloody time," I complained. "It's nearly midnight. I'm already a Level Six." In just three years, I had advanced from a Level Zero (there wasn't really such a thing) to a Level Six. I was diligent. That, and I had two of the best SOs I could ever ask for. Not just anybody gets trained by Hawkeye and the Black Widow.

As we sat on the bench, wiping the sweat off with towels and drinking water, Clint looked over at me and sighed. "I wish you could have met Phil Coulson. He was a great man. And an even better friend."

"He sounds like I would have liked him," I said, smiling at the man in front of me sadly. I knew Clint and Natasha missed him a lot, even after three years and I couldn't blame them one bit.

"I know he would have liked you, Paige." Clint stared off into the distance for a moment, and then cleared his throat. "You'd better get back to your bunk and get some sleep. You have school in the morning." I groaned out in disgust. I was about to start my senior year online tomorrow. My life had been hectic over the past three years. I had to make my own path, along with balancing school and training and missions. But it was worth it.

"You go on ahead. I can make it to my bunk on my own," I said. Clint gave me a very long, hard look.

"You're up to something," he accused.

"Guilty," I admitted. "I promise I'm not going to get myself in trouble this time. Just go to bed, Clint."

He stared straight into my eyes. "You get into trouble, I'm going to toss you off this Hellicarrier. While flying."

"Yes sir, Agent Barton SO, sir!" I mock-saluted him. He rolled his eyes, used to my antics by now, and gave me a hug, pressing his lips to my forehead. He had kind of become the father/brother figure in my life, with Natasha as my mum/sister. After Clint left, I threw my towel and water bottle into my bag, slinging the strap over my shoulder and making my way to Fury's office. I had a bone to pick with the Director of SHIELD.

-:-

I knocked on the solid oak door twice and waited for permission to enter. When I did. Fury was standing behind his desk, back to me, looking out his window. He turned around to face me when I walked forward, stopping right at the edge of his desk.

"Agent Willows," he acknowledged me. "What can I help you with?"

"I want to meet Agent Coulson." Simple as that.

"Agent Phil Coulson is dead. He was killed during the attack in the Hellicarrier, back at New York, Agent," Fury said, and I knew he was lying. Even without my training on how to pick up on lies, I knew he was lying. Though, not may agents here actually know the future. Scratch that, only one does, and that's me. So, yeah, I knew he was lying.

"I know this information is above my paygrade," I said. "I know I'm not a Level Seven. But I also know that you're lying. I know for a fact that Phil Coulson is still alive, and that you brought him back from the dead under the utmost secrecy. And that you lied to him about it." I leaned in closer and said lowly, "I know about project TAHITI."

"And may I ask how you have come by this information?" Fury asked. Sure he could ask. Doesn't mean I was going to tell him what he wanted to hear.

"I have my resources. And don't worry, none of your agents spilled anything, nor have I hacked in to find it. I know the same way I know everything else. So let's start this thing over. I want to meet Agent Coulson." Even after three years, I hadn't told them about the movies. I wasn't planning on ever telling them, either. It was dangerous. I had to let fate run its course. They had eventually just accepted that fact, and didn't ask when I said something cryptic.

We stared at each other for a minute.

"Very well. Your flight leaves tomorrow. Come to my office for further instructions tomorrow. You are now being given a temporary Level Eight access."

I nodded. "Thank you, sir." I turned around and made for the door. Just as I put my hand on the doorknob, Fury called out,

"And Agent Willows?" I looked over my shoulder at him. "I don't need to tell you that this information is top secret. The other Avengers are not to _ever _get wind of this, or there will be consequences."

"Yes, sir," I said. After a moment's hesitation, I continued, "You know you're going to have to tell them eventually." The Director didn't reply. "If I were you, I'd do it sooner rather than later, because even in an agency this big, secrets like this can't stay hidden forever."

"Dually noted, Agent Willows." That was my cue to leave. Even Fury had started taking into account my advice, because I was usually (always) turned out to be right with stuff like this. I nodded and left, shutting the door behind me.

As I made my way back to my bunk, I ran into a bunch of Junior Agents. The parted for me, and started whispering, talking about New York and a different dimension as though I couldn't hear them. It used to bother me before, but now I just ignored it, because they weren't doing anything but speculating, which wasn't anything other than I had been doing since I got here,

"Excuse me," one said, standing out in front of me slightly, but not enough to block my path. Smart of him. I stopped and listened. "Are you Whiplash? The one who came from a different universe and fought in the Battle at New York when you were fourteen?"

"I am," I confirmed. "Although my real name is Paige Willows. And you are?"

"Michael Waldrup," he replied. "It's an honor to meet you, ma'am." I smiled and shook his hand. He was older than me, but I was still his superior. That had taken quite a bit of time to get used to. Because of my level, which I had worked so hard to earn. I was qualified for Level Seven, which was where the rest of the Avengers were, but I knew I wouldn't achieve it until I was eighteen. I turn seventeen in six days, and then have to wait for another year. In all honesty, it wasn't that bad of a wait.

"It's nice to meet you too," I said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to be going now. Busy day tomorrow."

"Of course," Michael said, stepping out of my way. I nodded at them all, said goodnight, and continued on to my bunk. After typing in my passcode, the door slid open to reveal my quarters. The main room had a couch, a coffee table, a lamp, and a TV. There was also a small kitchen through the door on the right, and my bedroom was the door straight ahead. A bathroom was connected to my bedroom. I dropped my bag on the ground, kicking my boots off and sighed. Whoever though heeled combat boots were the way to go for women's SHIELD uniforms should be shot. I stripped out of my sweaty clothes, placing my various weapons on the coffee table and sending my clothes and workout towel down the laundry chute. I moved into my bedroom and pulled on a pair of sweats and a black tank top with the familiar eagle logo on them, letting my hair loose and brushing it out. I gently fingered the strand that was braided before moving back out to put my bags and weapons away and then finally collapsing onto my bed. Normally, I would take a shower, but it was late and I just wasn't going to make it that far tonight.

I rolled over and sighed, quickly giving in to the inky blackness that was sleep.

My dreams consisted of flashes of New York, training, and things from the past and future. I saw my mum and brother, my dad in chains, Loki's mischievous green eyes before he turned darker, and so many other things. This was normal. A side effect of whatever brought me here, I supposed. Suddenly, I was in a road. I vaguely recognized it, although I couldn't quite put my finger on where and why I did. There were abandoned cars, a man with long hair and a metal arm, and Natasha was there, and then there was a click at my feet and an explosion.

And nothing but black.

-:-

** Yeah, okay, I know you guys hate cliffhangers. But I do them because I love you! This chapter is short, but the prologue for Agents of SHIELD will be much longer! It's under a different title, in the Agents of SHIELD fandom, so please check it out!**

**Love,**

** Angel**


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